Cementerio San Antonio de
Padua
Aransas Pass, Aransas Co.
Cemeteries of TX Markers erected 1998 0.9 mi. N of Aransas Pass on Bus. SH 35 Listing Needed Historical Marker According to local lore, George Lewis
(1859-1895) donated one-half acre of land at this site to the Hispanic citizens of the
area for use as a cemetery, provided that he be buried in the center of the land. Handmade
stones indicate burials dating from the 19th century; the first recorded deed was signed
in 1933. Years of wind and rain have rendered many stones illegible. A number of children
who died in an influenza epidemic in 1940 and many veterans of U.S. and international
conflicts are interred here. A statue of San Antonio holding a child, crafted in Mexico,
was brought across the border by the local priest for placement in an open chapel on the
cemetery grounds. It is revered by the families of those interred here. (1998)